


Out of Mind, out of Sight.

by randomramblesff



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy 2nd Anniversary to these dumb-dumbs, Jeff gets crafty and Annie gets sappy, vision boards included
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-16 21:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11836974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomramblesff/pseuds/randomramblesff
Summary: "Speaking of imagining, that's kind of the theme of my idea. I suppose one of the reasons I'd never really done this before is because I'd never really felt like I was in a place in my life to do it. Everything kind of seemed impossible… but, now we're together, I have a relationship, we're living together, I'm working on my Masters, I kind of have an okay job. I guess it doesn't all seem impossible."





	Out of Mind, out of Sight.

**Author's Note:**

> Because it's around the time they would have gotten together 2 years ago and... I feel like I could see Annie roping him into doing something like this.

She sits him down at the dining table with that look in her eye, a combination of fierce ambition and slight concern for whether he'll actually be interested in what she has to say. He knows he's not going anywhere, unless she's dragged him into some Greendale plan the Dean has snuck behind his back into her much more forgiving hands (even though she no longer attends the school) or unless his mom has done something similar, making Annie persuade him into a family dinner with all of his aunts and cousins that he barely knows the names of.

So, he stays put, pouts his lips and squints his eyes a little as he prepares for the impact of whatever she has to say and holds his hands together just in case he doesn't like the outcome and needs to stay composed. It would be a little unfair of her to unload something on him on today of all days; it's their two year anniversary, they're supposed to be enjoying today.

"I know we're not doing much this year because of… money, but I've had this idea for a while now before we were even together, and I thought, you know, it will give us something to do and we can look back on it. Plus, there was a sale on at the craft store so what I had to buy for it, was even cheaper."

He tilts his head. He wasn't expecting the words 'craft store' to be uttered but he'll continue to listen intently, just in case it gets better. Not that what she's saying is bad. She's Annie after all, most of her ideas are pretty sound.

"I know, I never imagined us getting together and being nearly broke."

Annie rolls her eyes but suddenly snaps her fingers as if his words relate to it all, somehow.

" _Speaking_ of imagining, that's kind of the theme of my idea. I suppose one of the reasons I'd never really done this before is because I'd never really felt like I was in a place in my life to do it. Everything kind of seemed impossible… but, now we're together, I have a relationship, we're living together, I'm working on my Masters, I kind of have an okay job. I guess it doesn't all seem impossible."

"Are you gonna' keep rambling or are you gonna' show me what's in that giant bag behind your back?" 

She shoots him some form of death glare, making him wink back, as she raises the bag from behind her as he mentioned, laying it on the table in front of him.

"Before I show you what it is, I know you'll probably find it lame but-."

"You do realise whatever it is, I'm gonna' do it for you, right? Because that's how much power you have over me, now."

"Oh shush, I've always had that power of you." Jeff snorts at her retort to his interruption, straightening up his back because he knows he's not in for enduring any discomfort or doing anything for anybody else but her.

She tugs on whatever is inside the plastic bag, clasping two hands on either side of what's taking up so much room. It doesn't take her much effort though, which makes sense when he realises she's holding two pieces of white foam board which are as light as a feather.  She rounds the table, trying her best not to react to his raised eyebrow and gritted teeth.

"I thought we could make vision boards together."

He gazes up at her, blinking.

"I know we've spoken through some of these things and what we want in the future but I thought it would be nice if we actually turned them into something visual, that we can actually make sense of. And then when we're done, we can compare and see what matches up or see what we hadn't both thought of before. It doesn't have to be just for the next year either, it can be for ten years down the line or even further." She lifts her chin, proud of her idea, no matter what he says, "What do you think?"

"I think… you're making me do work on our anniversary _but_ if this is something you wanna' do, then I'll do it. I just gotta' know how."

"I was going to get to that." She responds, turning on her heels to pick up some tins and containers that Jeff had somehow missed her moving before he sat down, "You can do it however you like. You could do a timeline, you could draw things, you could write things, you can just use pictures and photos. You could use photos we already have if you want something to continue happening and _no_ before you say anything, you aren't allowed to put _private_ photos on there, okay? I was kind of hoping we could put them on display when we're done."

"So, you just want me to stick things onto a board?" He asks, pointing to the piece of foam she's moving towards him, along with a metal pot full of various pens and pencils, a pair of scissors and some glue. He tries not to laugh that she's laid it out as if he was in pre-school. He's almost expecting her to pull out an instruction sheet just in case he doesn't understand her words.

"Basically. Just add things that you want or you envision yourself having. You can put a car or… I don't know, a new pair of shoes if you really want."

"Alright. I know yours is gonna' look way better than mine, though."

"It's not a competition. " She adds, patting him on the shoulder.

"You wanna' bet?" He tilts his head before uncrossing his arms and standing up, bugging his eyes at her before striding off to find his laptop, leaving her behind to smile and bob her head in success.

When he joins her again, she's already printed out a sheet of what looks like flowers and decorations which suggests she's firstly, prepared some of hers previously and secondly, is going for a more decorative approach than what he has in mind. He sits down at the opposite end of the table and opens up Google, when he has a slight panic, not knowing what to put into the search bar. He glances over the top of his screen to see Annie with her head down, a glue stick in hand as she moves around shapes and cut-outs across her board. For a moment or two, he wonders if she has it all figured out more than he does and all of those fears about not knowing what she wants come to the surface, having to be gulped down. She calms him though, catching his eyes.

"By the way, don't worry if ours are totally different. You can make it super personal to you, not just about us. Although, obviously, if I put down a house, I'm obviously hoping it would be for the both of us."

He nods before looking down at his screen again, adjusting the angle of it. He finds a photo for his first search, drags it into a new folder on his desktop and carries on. After a couple of tries, it almost comes naturally; the ideas and visions start flowing, one idea starting up another.

They take a break for lunch and Jeff attempts to get a quick peek at Annie's but she flips the board so it's facing down onto the table and shuts her laptop so he can't see the draft she's created, ready to print. When she's chopping some tomatoes to add a salad bowl, he slides his hands around her waist from behind, crouching down so he can kiss her temple and rest his nose on her head.

"I'm still making dinner tonight, remember?"

"Mhm." She tilts her head and accepts a proper kiss before pulling away to plate up what she's made. They eat it on the couch watching an episode or two of their latest Netflix binge and Jeff thanks Annie's god that their first three anniversaries all fall at the end of the week. He's not sure what he'll do on their fourth if he can't spend all day making her happy.

They get back to it a while after, and Annie puts on one of her Spotify playlists in their speakers, singing along to what he thinks he remembers her saying was Haim (he's unsure - he can't say their music tastes are very compatible). He watches her without her knowing, jolting her shoulders from side to side as she mouths the words under her breath. When she catches him, she doesn't stop like she used to when they first started dating, she just sings it right to him, not looking away once.

"Let's cut these suckers out." He exclaims, jumping out of his chair with speed so his sheets of paper don't go flying from the printer across the room.

"Wait, you haven't even cut any out yet?" She asks whilst sneakily trying to get a look at what's on his printouts. She catches the front lights of a car and something coloured blue but she can't quite make it out before he's snatched them away and has them concealed by his laptop.

"Nope, I was saving that til' last. I'll be done soon."

"Me too actually. I've just got to add the finishing touches."

The door buzzes during mid-afternoon which confuses both of them, making them leave their paper cutting covered table behind them. When Jeff pulls open the door, he's greeted with a bunch of flowers and the top of a man's head who turns out to be a courier which Jeff's mom had ordered.

Annie can't stop smiling when she reads the tag congratulating them on two years and it's safe to say she's a little distracted from her vision board as she goes to Instagramming the bouquet and finding the best vase to place them in. It gives Jeff just enough time to steal her silver ink pen without her noticing, adding some lines and borders here and there because he thinks she'll appreciate the extra effort.

He waits until she's been sat down for a while again to reveal his board is complete.

"Well, I'm done."

"Really, already?" She asks, her eyes flicking between him and her board.

"Yeah, I didn't want it to be too overcrowded."

"Right." She nods understandingly before sitting back to take in her work. She'd honestly thought Jeff would have taken the longest, not knowing how to even start at first but it seems they were pretty in sync, time wise, at least.

"Okay… well, I think I am too." She raises an eyebrow, mischievously, "Want to put them under a blanket and do a surprise reveal?"

He laughs at her expression before joining her at the couch, waiting until her eyes are closed to set his down on the cushions and cover it up with one end of the blanket. Hers is already under so they step back and wait for one of them to take charge. Jeff just stands and rubs a hand down his face, though, a little embarrassed.

"Okay… three…" Annie starts to count, "…two…" folding her smile in so she doesn't look too excited to reveal all… "one!"

Neither of them say anything for a moment as they take in each other's work and all of their differences.

"Well, you definitely went for the more artistic approach. How do your photos look so much nicer than mine?"

She tilts her head, trying not to act like she knows it all.

"I used Pinterest and you obviously used… Google search and stock-images."

He turns his head, completely baffled.

"Pinter…? What was that?"

She looks at him blankly.

"Come on, you should know what it is by now. Pinterest? It's the site which has loads of photos and you can pin them onto 'boards'? I made one for when we moved in, remember? I made our kitchen shelves look much more appealing?"

He takes him a minute to work out what she's talking about but when he does, he gapes with realisation.

"Ohh."

"I see you were a lot more specific with your car choice, though." She points out, looking at the new model Lexus he's cut neatly around the edges. The neatness actually makes her smile the most with just the fact he really took her idea to heart and wanted to make sure it was the best it could be. She leans to one side and rests her cheek on his arm, letting him hold her close.

"Yeah well I wasn't just going to put any old car, was I? Otherwise, I'd end up with your old Honda."

"Aww, I wonder how my old car is."

"Dead."

"You say that but Betty will never really die even if she got taken to a scrap heap."

He watches her, grinning.

"Betty? You gave it an old lady name, no wonder it was falling apart."

She swats him then before stepping out of his arms to inspect his a little closer. He decides to do the same, carefully picking up her board in case any of the pieces fall off. It's neatly labelled 'Annie's Vision Board', in case anybody needs to know.

There's a woman holding a bouquet of flowers in the right-hand corner (not too different to the ones his mom delivered to their door, which makes him think it was a late addition to the board), stuck next to a pair of rings balanced against a pillow. There's also a cut-out screenshot explaining what's called 'self-solemnisation', a law in Colorado that allows you to get married by yourself which Annie introduced him to not too long ago.

In the bottom left-hand corner, there's a house, painted with white trimmings and with a garden out front and back, with a cosy kitchen area and a picture of a living room covered in cushions and blankets with a log fire burning in the background. There's also a note to the side of it saying 'more color' because the photos show rather neutral décor. Not too far from that, there's a crib with a silver question mark beside it and a silhouette of a family walking through a field at dusk. He realises that the photo isn't stuck down completely, it has a corner bent in, waiting to be lifted up so the writing can be read - _Once we have well-paying jobs and have a house!_ He laughs at that because it's so specifically Annie for her to have added that sort of detail in, even though he knows it now, off by heart. He takes a break from scanning his eyes over hers and watches her intently taking in his.

One of the first things she notices is that most of his pictures still have watermarks spread across them but there's something so endearing about the fact it didn't matter to him. The next thing she notices is what she presumes is the 'marriage' section of the board, a couple of photos of standard gold wedding bands and the trail of a wedding dress which she expects he only put in for her. She knows he wants them to get married, to make it official one day that he is committed to her more than anything else but he's not sure what he actually thinks about having a wedding so the lack of detail doesn't surprise her.

There's a dog placed right in the centre of the board, a golden retriever to be more specific. There's even a small list of names dotted around it, written in scribbly silver pen which covers up the corner of a photo of an office and a gavel which is supposed to imply his future career as a new lawyer. He wants to do it differently; really try to work his way up with someone small. She knows it still fuels him and whenever the subject arises, his whole face lights up with enthusiasm, so she's glad it didn't get missed off the list in fear of it not coming true.

The new Lexus must be in his more luxurious, dream-like section because it sits beside a hotel in an exotic country, as well as just a spread of cash because yeah, they could really do with a better income if they want to start planning for any of these things.

Speaking of planning, there's a section specifically for family, a little like hers but with a more personal touch; an old photo of the study group (minus Pierce, sadly), as well as a stock photo of a calendar, a date circled. She frowns in confusion but then realises there's an arrow joining the calendar to a picture of a small boy, a soccer ball at his feet. She realises the calendar is to signify the possibility of having a kid at the right time - he's made sure she knows he wants one before he turns 50 which is understandable.

"You want to go to Iceland?" Jeff asks, drawing her away from his handiwork.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I guess. I just want to travel more and Iceland has always intrigued me. What about you, you really want a house with a pool? We live in Colorado, you really think we'd get much use out of one?"

"Maybe we won't live in Colorado."

She tilts her head, realising that's a good point. They don't have to stay here forever; their plans aren't attached to any one place, really.

"What do you think?" He asks, placing her board back down to hover over her, his still held in her hands. She leans her neck back to see him, smiling.

"Nothing I didn't know of."

"I guess we should probably go on vacation at some point and not just to see Troy and Abed in LA."

She nods as he leans against her like he had in the kitchen earlier, his eyes on both of their boards.

"So, jobs first, the rest afterwards?"

She shrugs, not meaning for that to have been her board's message.

"Well, it would be practical. I mean, we need money for all of those things to happen."

"You don't need much money to self-solemnize."

"True." They both stand in the silence before Annie realises what that might imply, "That doesn't mean I don't want a wedding, by the way, it just means we'd be able to do it without anybody in the way, especially as you're not much of a religious person."

"I'm not a religious person at all."

"Exactly."

Jeff kisses the top of her head and breathes her in.

"So, is this what you imagined?" He uses one hand to loosely point at their work.

"Yeah. I'm glad we did it. We can put them up in the hallway so we can remind ourselves. Out of mind, out of sight, as they say."

"Whatever you want, that's what I say."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Happy Anniversary."

"Happy Anniversary."


End file.
